British broadcaster ITV has launched a new advertising proposition aimed at allowing advertisers to share information with consumers quickly and cost effectively during the coronavirus pandemic.

ITV Hub Shout Outs will offer advertisers on the ITV Hub digital platform the opportunity to share important information as well as messages of support and gratitude to the public and key workers through short video ads.

The video clips will run between three to five seconds and contain short, snappy messages rather than longer form, fully branded commercials that are not always appropriate for online consumption.

ITV said the Shout Outs are an opportunity for advertisers aiming to inform and support the public, as opposed to raising awareness of products or promotions.

The broadcaster will also offer access to its in-house creative production team to support brands looking to build impactful Shout Out clips.

The proposition includes a subsidised rate, ITV said, and runs across both national and regional services.

ITV head of digital Patrick Kelly said: “The ITV Hub Shouts are a perfect solution for advertisers of any size and scale to spread information quickly and impactfully outside of linear TV campaigns.”

It comes at a challenging time for broadcasters, who are seeing a rise in TV consumption due to the coronavirus lockdown, but potentially face falling ad revenues due to an expected recession in the aftermath of the crisis.

Last week, the ITV Hub announced that year on year consumption hours have increased by 82%, while monthly reach on the platform has risen by 40%. ITV Hub plus, ITV’s ad free service, has also grown 80% since the same period last year.

But despite this rise, ITV has already announced plans to slash its production budget by at least £100 million in order to manage the impact of the virus.

ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall told investors that the company is operating in “unprecedented and uncertain times” which have required it to make quick and difficult decisions about the future.

McCall explained it made the cuts after it “reviewed our programming spend in light of the weaker advertising environment”.

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